Chapter 5
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Mistress's Grave
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In the first couple of years when he was just struggling to survive, and in the years since he began his true wanderings, Luon had learned the single most important thing for survival.
It wasn't an element related to the game, like skills or stats, but a pure intuition born from countless experiences. His greatest weapon, the one that allowed a modern man, who started with practically nothing save for a few perks, to endure in this harsh otherworld disguised with extreme freedom.
That intuition was telling him: tonight would be a long night.
Luon swung his sword, thick with black blood, through the air a few times. Catching his breath for a moment, he scowled at the ghoul corpses littering the surroundings. Dammit, just how many were there.
There had been a full three packs of ghouls. Luon, who had handled the first ten without issue, couldn't avoid taking wounds here and there from the cumbersome ghoul corpses and the relentless new ones that charged without pause.
Fortunately, it wasn't a major problem. He had no major injuries that would hinder his movements, and the corpse poison—arguably the ghouls' most fearsome weapon—had little effect on him thanks to his high vitality stat.
Luon, rubbing his wounds roughly with his palm, recalled the location of the mistress's grave that Median had told him about.
The graveyard plots were arranged according to the time of death, and her grave—having died (been murdered) relatively recently—was located to the south.
No longer needing to act cautiously, Luon started running south. Ghouls would occasionally appear from somewhere and charge him, but he cut them down in a single stroke and pressed forward without hesitation.
After this cycle of advancing and killing repeated about four times, Luon finally found the grave where the mistress was said to be buried. No, he couldn't have missed it.
“...What is that.”
Luon's face contorted as he stared at the bizarre-looking monster half-buried in the ground next to the ruined grave.
The monster, cradling its swollen belly with both hands like a pregnant woman, didn't move much despite the stranger's appearance.
Though Luon possessed a considerable knowledge of fantasy from the novels and games he'd consumed since childhood, he hesitated, unsure how to approach a monster the likes of which he had never seen before.
At that moment, the monster's mouth slowly opened.
Gr-oooo-o-oooh.
Starting with a sound that seemed to echo from a cave, the monster's swollen belly split open with a crack, and two ghouls spilled out from within, accompanied by an overwhelming stench.
Faced with a horrific sight that was a far cry from the sacred beauty of childbirth, Luon wasted no time grabbing an arrow from his back. Two arrows, fired in an instant, embedded themselves in the foreheads of the newborn ghouls.
Leaving the shrieking creatures behind, Luon, who was already nocking a third arrow, saw a tentacle flying toward him and quickly rolled away.
*CRASH!*
The ground where Luon had just been standing caved in, kicking up a cloud of dirt. From within the cloud, the tentacle changed direction and shot toward Luon once more.
Having swiftly switched weapons in the meantime, Luon swung his sword hard, clashing with the tentacle. After the heavy exchange, he realized the tentacle was much tougher than he'd expected. I'll sever it in one blow!
*CRUNCH!*
Luon put all his strength into both hands and swung his sword.
His overwhelming strength severed the tentacle in a single motion.
Gr-oooooo-ooh.
The monster shrieked in a higher tone than before. The tentacle had come from the monster's split-open belly, and it seemed Luon's last attack had dealt a direct blow.
*SHWIIICK!*
This time, not one but three tentacles flew at him, leaving no room to escape. Luon gritted his teeth and moved his entire body with explosive force. His sword, now a blur, sliced through all the tentacles that rained down from multiple angles.
Rushing past the tentacles writhing in pain, Luon immediately sent the monster's head flying. The moment he crushed the monster's head, which had fallen limply to the ground, with his foot, a sense of elation that had been building inside him spread throughout his body. It was a level up.
Awakening his senses and investing the bonus stat point into strength, Luon clicked his tongue as he looked at the monster before him.
“Insane.”
The long-awaited level up was welcome news, but the sight before him was so shocking that he had no time to rejoice.
A monster that gives birth to ghouls... He had faced all sorts of monsters until now, but never one so horrifying. Luon organized his half-doubting thoughts. There was no way such an insane monster could have been born naturally. Just as Median had worried, this was clearly the work of a witch.
Approaching the mistress's gravestone, he saw a pile of dirt that had been dug up from the inside out, and within it, a half-open coffin. As expected, the coffin was empty. The thought that this horrific monster had crawled out from inside made Luon's head throb.
Just because adultery was an unforgivable act, it was hard to understand turning a woman who was once human into such an inhuman monster. Of course, there was no way of knowing if Median or the witch had predicted this outcome. Dammit, there are still lines you shouldn't cross.
But despite such thoughts, Luon's hands were already examining every nook and cranny of the dead monster's body. He had to do what needed to be done, after all.
***
“To handle things so quickly. It seems I was right about you.”
Median smiled with satisfaction. Not liking her triumphant smile, Luon tossed the object in his hand onto the table.
*Ting.*
The ring, which had been rolling around, lost its momentum and fell flat.
Perhaps displeased by Luon's demeanor, Median spoke sharply.
“I would appreciate an explanation.”
“The mistress you said the witch killed had become a monster that gives birth to ghouls. It seems she buried her body deep in the ground and used tentacles connected to her insides to suck up the corpses in the graveyard. The corpses dragged in like that were then reborn as ghouls in her belly.”
At the chilling details, Median's face, already white with powder, turned so pale it was concerning.
“...You're not lying, are you?”
“If you're curious, you can have someone check the graves. You'll receive a report that the coffins are all empty.”
Since a monster couldn't create something from nothing, and recalling the soldiers' talk of a ghoul resembling their friend, Luon had dug up and checked the surrounding graves one by one.
It had left the area around the graves in a mess, but that was for Median's people to handle.
“I brought the ring as proof. It was on the monster's ring finger.”
Luon shrugged.
“This should be enough, shouldn't it?”
Nodding for her handmaiden to take the ring, Median looked at Luon. She had already recovered her characteristically composed expression.
“Fine. What do you want?”
“I'll take it in gold coins. I'll pass on any jewels.”
Jewels were often a hassle to exchange. Whether in medieval or modern times, cash was always the best, trouble-free option.
“So be it.”
Median nodded once more, and the handmaiden held out a leather pouch that looked expensive even at a glance.
“You can check it.”
Luon immediately tucked the leather pouch into his coat.
“I trust you've been generous enough.”
“Anything else you're curious about?”
At Median's question, Luon's eyes lit up.
“I'd like to know of any credible rumors or legends you've heard.”
“Credible rumors or legends? That's rather broad.”
After a moment of thought, Median spoke.
“I have little interest in baseless tales. If I had to pick one, there's a rumor that the king will soon embark on a war of conquest. It's likely to face fierce opposition because of talk of mobilizing the nobles' private armies, but nothing is certain yet. I don't know if that's helpful.”
Median's story could be a massive piece of intelligence depending on who heard it, but it wasn't something that piqued Luon's interest.
“I see. I'll be on my way now.”
“It seems I wasn't much help.”
“It's not information I can use at the moment.”
“A shame.”
Median added with a faint smile.
“Seeing you turn away without a second thought, I think I understand why your face isn't as well-known as your reputation. You must think too much fame would hinder your journey, yes? You can rest assured. I'm not curious why you chase after rumors and legends, nor do I have any plans to blab about you or try to make you one of my people. So, why not stay for a relaxing cup of tea?”
She was the mistress of Grungrad for a reason; her grasp of the situation was quite sharp. For the first time, Luon thought he liked Median. If only just a little.
“I appreciate the consideration, but I still see no reason to stay.”
“...If that's the case, so be it. You may leave.”
After Luon turned and left the room without delay, Median whispered softly.
“Living like an awl in a pocket, you can't stay hidden forever. Warrior who slew the wyvern.”
As he left the mansion, bright light tickled Luon's face. He wanted nothing more than to rest soundly at a nearby inn for a few days, but he immediately headed out of the city.
He didn't know when Median might change her mind and order her subordinates to bring her the mercenary's head. She seemed to have no such intentions for now, but nobles were the type to change their minds a dozen times a day.
Luon knew he hadn't resolved this matter completely. There had to be something unresolved between Median and the witch he'd never met, and the ring he'd casually handed over might have had a plausible script prepared for it. In game terms, it felt strongly like a chain quest was waiting.
If he had accepted Median's offer of tea, the next part of the story probably would have unfolded naturally, but his senses, sharp since last night, were telling him it was best to end this request right here. And Luon trusted those senses.
In fact, he might have already dug too deep. Prying into the shameful secrets of the nobility was utterly useless and only put one's life in danger.
I leveled up and got paid. That's more than enough.
Luon cleared his mind. He concluded that he should just remember this incident as 'the tragic tale of a woman who messed with another's husband and became a monster.'
As he sorted his thoughts and quickened his pace, Luon suddenly stopped, captivated by the scene before him.
The sunlight, which held the history of Grungrad, caressed every corner of the city, heralding the early morning, and the people awakening within it were bustling about their own business.
Was it because he'd spent the night facing horrific monsters? The scenery, which he hadn't given a second thought for the past few days, had never looked so beautiful. How could he ever think of this breathtaking sight as just a bunch of data?
It was laughable.
The fact that he could leave such a scene behind and still long for his small, moldy studio apartment.
That the chicken and beer he'd ordered with money he didn't have still appeared in his dreams.
As always, there was no need to get depressed over such thoughts.
His aimless wandering would continue indefinitely, until the day he could return.
Averting his gaze, Luon walked on, with the sun at his back. Staying in Grungrad was off the table now, so he had to find another place to go.